Braider

ABSTRACT

A novel form of a braider is provided which, in its preferred embodiment, consists of a body portion with two opposing cavities. The cavities are designed so as to enable both easy insertion into and removal from of sections of hair from the cavities. Several novel methods for using the braider are also provided. In one use, the wearer places each of two sections of her hair each within a cavity of the braider. She then repeatedly and alternately transfers sub-sections of hair from one cavity to the other thus creating a herringbone braid. A hooked rod may be used to separate out sub-sections of hair during braiding.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] A provisional patent application, serial No. 60/370,654 for thisinvention was filed on Apr. 8, 2002 for inventor Priti Srivastava. Thebenefit of the filing date of Apr. 8, 2002 is requested for the currentpatent application.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] This invention relates to an improved braiding deviceparticularly one that be used to create several different styles ofbraids. The braider of this invention has several advantages overexisting prior art devices that are described in the followingparagraphs.

[0003] In U.S. Pat. No. 5,518,011 inventor Nash describes a device thatcan be used to weave hair. This device comprises an elongated handlemember which terminates in a comb base. A plurality of spaced fingers ortines extend from the comb base in substantially parallel relation toone another to define a series of hair receiving slots. Each finger ortine increases in thickness as it extends from comb to base to itsmidregion and then decreases in thickness to terminate in a curveddistal end. Hair is woven through the series of slots in a predeterminedsequence to form a braid. Nash's device, sold under the tradename WonderWeave(R), is meant mainly for the conventional 3-section braids. Also,Nash's device is hard to use because there are multiple slots to receivehair; thus it is hard for a user to figure out which slot to use forwhich sections of hair. The problem of trying to determine which slot touse for which section of hair is especially pronounced when a user istrying to braid her own hair at the back of her head.

[0004] U.S. Pat. No. 5,575,297 by Hatchett et al describes a devicesimilar to the above consisting of a plurality of adjacent elongatedrigid members joined to and arising in a perpendicular manner in such away that slots are formed between the adjacent elongated members toretain sections of hair. Hatchett's device, sold under the tradenameEasy Braid, is hard to manufacture because of the use of a rigid bodyportion with flexibly foam components. Additionally, Hatchett's devicehas the same shortcomings as Nash's device mentioned in the precedingparagraph: because of the presence of multiple slots, it is difficultfor a user to determine which slot to use for which strand of hair.

[0005] In U.S. Pat. No. 5,544,666, Schach describes a braiding devicethat can be used for making braids. Schach's device, sold under thetradename Braidini, includes a plurality of apertures formed in aserpentine shaped extension. Schach's device is likely to intimidate auser because of its complex design. Schach's device is also hard to usefor the same reason as the devices described by Nash and Halchett: thereare multiple openings for receiving sections of hair. It is verydifficult for a user to figure out which aperture to use for whichsections of hair especially when using it on her own hair at the back ofher head.

[0006] In U.S. Pat. No. 5,819,761 Sloan describes a hair braiding devicethat consists of a flat elongate body having at least one opposing pairof slotted openings with the openings being lined with a resilientmaterial that permits hair strands to be introduced thereinto and thatallows the device to be rotated to create a rope braid. The braidingdevice by Sloan requires multiple manufacturing steps. ]t is hard tomanufacture because it includes a lining attached on the inside of eachof the slots. Additionally, even though Sloan's device has two openings,those openings are designed especially to prevent hair strands fromescaping from the slots. Sloan's device requires an opposing yieldablelining that will grab on to hair strands when Sloan's device is beingrotated. In fact, Sloan's device has been especially designed withrotation in mind. It requires that hair strands not escape from theopenings during rotation. The use of fillable lining in Sloan's deviceis, in fact, intended to prevent hair strands from being easily removed.This makes Sloan's device less than ideal for braids such as theherringbone that require that sections of hair be removed often from theopenings during the braiding process. Additionally, the method taught bySloan is restricted to a single style of braid, the rope braid.

[0007] Thus, it is the object of this invention to provide a braiderthat does not intimidate the user with its complicated appearance.

[0008] It is also the object of this invention to provide a hairbraiding device that is very easy to use.

[0009] Additionally, it is the object of this invention to provide ahair braiding device that can be used to create many different styles ofbraids including herringbone braids, rope braids, chevron braids,diagonal braids, twisted braids, coil braids and many others.

[0010] It is a further object of this invention to provide a braidingdevice that is very inexpensive and easy to manufacture.

[0011] Another object of this invention is to provide a device that willallow the user to be able to interrupt the braiding process temporarilyif needed without worrying about the braid unraveling during theinterruption.

[0012] A still further object of this invention is to provide a compactdevice that can easily be packed into a ladies purse. The braider canalso be provided with its own hanger hole so as to allow for lowpackaging costs for commerce.

[0013] A still further object of this invention is to provide severalmethods for making a variety of braids using the braider of thisinvention.

[0014] Yet another object of this invention is to provide an aesthetichair accessory that can be used to create hair styles that do notrequire braiding.

[0015] Other and still further objects, features and advantages of thebraider will become obvious from a reading of the following detaileddescription of the present invention, taken in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0016] The present invention provides a braider that can be used to makemany different styles of braids very easily. Methods for making suchbraids with the aid of the braider are also provided.

[0017] The design of the current invention presents several advantages.

[0018] The simple design of the braider not only allows for easymanufacturing but it also translates to lower costs for the consumer. Itcan be made inexpensively from a wide variety of materials including butnot restricted to plastics, wire, cardboard, metal, piping, flexibleclay, foam rubber and various composites.

[0019] The simple design of the braider has an additional advantage:unlike many prior art devices it does not intimidate the user. Thecomplicated user instructions and complex appearance of many prior artdevices made them very unappealing to the user. In contrast, the braiderof this invention is very simple in design.

[0020] The braider of this invention is also very easy to use. Even veryyoung girls will have little trouble mastering the many different hairstyles that can be created with the braider of this invention.

[0021] The braider is very compact and can be easily carried in a pursewithout adding either bulk or weight. It can easily be packed fortravel.

[0022] The braider is a great gift item for anyone with medium to longhair.

[0023] The braider will also make a great toy item allowing little girlsto braid the hair on their dolls.

[0024] Thus the braider of this invention has great potential for marketsuccess. It is highly versatile; it is inexpensive to manufacture; itcan be offered to the consumer at an easily affordable price; it is botha tool and an accessory; additionally, it is a brand new item in amarket that is very receptive to innovative new products.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEW OF THE DRAWING

[0025]FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of the first embodiment of thebraider of this invention.

[0026]FIG. 2 shows the top elevational view of the first embodiment ofthe braider of this invention. It also shows a hooked rod that can beused during the braiding process to separate sections of hair.

[0027]FIG. 3 shows some options for the front and side profiles of abraider.

[0028]FIG. 4 shows the top elevational view of a second embodiment ofthe braider of this invention.

[0029]FIG. 5A shows the top elevational view of a third embodiment ofthe braider of this invention.

[0030]FIG. 5B shows the top elevational view of a variation of the thirdembodiment of the braider of this invention

[0031]FIG. 6 shows the top elevational view of a fourth embodiment ofthe braider of this invention.

[0032]FIG. 7 shows the top elevational view of a fifth embodiment of thebraider of this invention.

[0033]FIG. 8 shows the top elevational view and the side elevationalview of a sixth embodiment of the braider of this invention.

[0034]FIG. 9 shows the top elevational view of a seventh embodiment ofthe braider of this invention.

[0035]FIG. 10 shows the top elevational view of an eighth embodiment ofthe braider of this invention.

[0036]FIG. 11 shows the top elevational view of a ninth embodiment ofthe braider of this invention.

[0037]FIG. 12 shows the top elevational view of the tenth embodiment ofthe braider of this invention.

[0038]FIG. 13 shows the top elevational view of the eleventh embodimentof the braider of this invention.

[0039]FIGS. 14, 15 and 16 illustrate how the first embodiment of thebraider of this invention may be used to create a herringbone braid.

[0040]FIG. 14 shows the first step of the braiding process.

[0041]FIG. 15 shows the second step of the braiding process.

[0042]FIG. 16 shows a herringbone braid.

[0043]FIG. 17 shows how a variation of the herringbone braid may becreated.

[0044]FIG. 18 shows how a diagonal braid may be created with the help ofthe first embodiment of the braider of this invention.

[0045]FIG. 19 shows how a coil braid may be created with the help of thefirst embodiment of the braider of this invention.

[0046]FIG. 20 shows how a multi-rope hair style may be created with thehelp of the third embodiment of the braider of this invention.

[0047]FIGS. 21, 22 and 23 show the steps involved in creating a ropebraid.

[0048]FIG. 21 shows the first step in creating a rope braid with thebraider of this invention.

[0049]FIG. 22 shows the second step in creating a rope braid with thebraider of this invention.

[0050]FIG. 23 shows a rope braid that was created using the firstembodiment of the braider of this invention.

[0051]FIG. 24 shows how a chevron braid may be created using the sixthembodiment of the braider of this invention.

[0052]FIG. 25 shows how the braider may be used to make a non-braidhairstyle

[0053]FIG. 26 shows how a miniature braider may be used in place of ahair clip to anchor a small section of hair

[0054] Reference Numerals in Drawings

[0055]1 first embodiment of the braider of this invention

[0056]2 flexible mouth portion of first cavity

[0057]3 flexibly mouth portion of second cavity

[0058]4 first cavity of the braider

[0059]5 crochet-like hooked rod to separate out sections of hair duringbraiding

[0060]6 second cavity of the braider

[0061]8 oval side profile of braider

[0062]9 rectangular side profile of braider

[0063]10 oval top profile of braider

[0064]11 rectangular top profile of braider

[0065]12 a second embodiment of the braider of this invention

[0066]14 a third embodiment of the braider of this invention

[0067]15 a variation of the third embodiment of the braider of thisinvention

[0068]16 a fourth embodiment of the braider of this invention

[0069]18 third cavity in a braider

[0070]19 side view of a braider in which the short arm of the “L” asillustrated is intended to rest between the user's torso and the hair tobe braided

[0071]20 a fifth embodiment of the braider of this invention

[0072]22 flexible member for holding hair strands in place within thefirst cavity

[0073]24 flexible member for holding hair strands in place within thesecond cavity

[0074]26 a sixth embodiment of the braider of this invention

[0075]28 a seventh embodiment of the braider of this invention

[0076]32 an eighth embodiment of the braider of this invention

[0077]34 front elevational view of the seventh embodiment of the braiderof this invention

[0078]36 a ninth embodiment of the braider of this invention

[0079]37 hanger hole

[0080]38 a tenth embodiment of the braider of this invention

[0081]40 a third cavity in a braider

[0082]42 a fourth cavity in a braider

[0083]43 an eleventh embodiment of the braider of this invention

[0084]44 back of a wearer's head

[0085]46 first section of the user's hair

[0086]48 second section of the user's hair

[0087]50 small sub-section of the first section of the user's hair

[0088]52 small sub-section of the second section of the user's hair

[0089]54 a herringbone braid made with the help of the first embodimentof the braider of this invention

[0090]56 twisted sub-section of the first section of the user's hair

[0091]58 twisted sub-section of the first section of the user's hair

[0092]59 twisted sub-section of the first section of the user's hair

[0093]60 twisted sub-section of the first section of the user's hair

[0094]61 twisted sub-section of the first section of the user's hair

[0095]62 twisted sub-section of the first section of the user's hair

[0096]63 twisted sub-section of the second section of user's hair

[0097]64 twisted sub-section of the second section of user's hair

[0098]66 sub-section of the first section of user's hair

[0099]69 sub-section of user's hair near scalp

[0100]68 sub-section of the second section of user's hair

[0101]70 rope braid formed with the help of the braider of thisinvention

[0102]72 section of user's hair containing sub-sections of section 46and section 48

[0103]74 a section of user's hair

[0104]76 top elevational view of the twelfth embodiment of the braiderof this invention

[0105]78 a section of wearer's hair

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0106] Various aspects of the present invention will evolve from thefollowing detailed description which should be taken in conjunction withthe prior described drawings. It should be noted that the drawings havenot been made to scale.

[0107]FIG. 1

[0108]FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of the first embodiment of thisinvention. Braider 1 of this embodiment is substantially planar thoughit may be made convex or concave. Braider 1, in fact, may be made in avariety of different shapes without detracting from the spirit of thisinvention. The braider is seen to have two cavities 4 and 6 forreceiving and holding sections of hair. The size of these cavities issuch that the hair to be braided can be held snugly within thesecavities so as to prevent the braider from slipping off. At the sametime, each cavity should be designed so as to allow for both easyremoval from the cavity and easy insertion into the cavity of hairsections. Mouth portion 2 of cavity 4 and mouth portion 3 of cavity 6are flexible so as to allow hair strands to be introduced into andremoved from the cavities. Many variations in the shape of the cavitiesare possible. The cavities may be circular, angular, elongated, or anyother shape though a smooth shape is to be preferred to an angular shapein order for the hair sections to be held snugly within the cavities.The edges of the cavities can be made wavy or crimped to better holdsections of hair. Alternatively, the cavities may be designed to includea resilient member that can be reversibly deformed to better holddifferent thickness of hair. Another design of this tool, would be tosubdivide cavities 4 and 6 into a series of cavities each. Some of theseembodiments are discussed later in this detailed description.

[0109]FIG. 2

[0110]FIG. 2 shows the top elevational view of braider 1. FIG. 2 alsoshows a hooked rod 5 that can be used to separate out sections of hairduring the braiding process. Several hooked rods with different sizedhooks may be provided in order to allow the user to separate outdifferently sized sections of hair.

[0111]FIG. 3

[0112]FIG. 3 shows some options for the profile of a braider. As shownin side profile 8, the side view of a braider may be an elongated oval.As shown in side profile 9, the side view of a braider may berectangular. Likewise different profiles for the front view arepossible. Front profile 10 is seen to be substantially oval while frontprofile 11 is seen to be rectangular. These different profiles areintended to show that the actual shape of the braider can be variedwhile still maintaining the spirit of this invention.

[0113]FIG. 4

[0114]FIG. 4 shows braider 12 in which the body of the braider has beenreduced to a frame with most of the body portion being hollow. Thisframe can be made from a tube or wire-like flexible material. It canalso be made from a band of flexible material. In fact, a variety ofdifferent materials and cross-sections for the frame may be used. Theshape of the frame itself may vary. It is, however, important that thematerial and design of the frame be such as to allow hair sections to beintroduced into and removed from cavities 4 and 6 easily.

[0115]FIGS. 5A and 5B

[0116]FIG. 5A shows braider 14, a third embodiment of the braider ofthis invention. As shown in FIG. 5A, cavities 4 and 6 each consists oftwo cavities each to better retain hair. In fact, each of cavity 4 andcavity 6 may be divided into more than two cavities each. However, it isimportant that care be taken with a multi-cavity design to avoidcompromising the ease of removing sections of hair or of insertingsections of hair into the cavities. In braider 14, the two smallersub-cavities of cavity 4 and cavity 6 may be made of different sizes.For instance, the front cavity of cavity 4 may be made longer andnarrower while the rear cavity of cavity 4 may be made shorter andwider. This will allow for more uses of the braiding tool. For instance,very narrow sections of hair may be held snugly as well as very widesections. Teeth may also be used within the cavities to further help thecavities grab hair sections. However the teeth are likely to interferewith the process of removing sections of hair from the cavities; thusany teeth that are used should have the correct flexibility, size andalignment so as to not hinder the braiding process.

[0117]FIG. 5B shows braider 15 which is avariation of braider 14. Inbraider 15, the mouth portions 2 and 3 are extended so that they overlapover an extended area. This extended overlap area may be considered amodified cavity in which case braider 15 becomes exactly equivalent tobraider 14. The overlap in the mouth portions will help grab very narrowsections of hair.

[0118]FIG. 6

[0119]FIG. 6 shows braider 20 which is a fourth embodiment of thebraider of this invention. Braider 20 includes flexible elements 22 and24 in cavities 4 and 6 respectively. These flexible elements help betterretain hair within the cavities and make the braider adaptable for thickhair sections as well as thin ones. These flexible members can be madein a variety of shapes, including but not limited to wavy, zigzag,arcuate, smooth, etc. The flexible members may be attached at differentpoints within the cavity without losing their functionality. They may bemade of the same material as the rest of the braider. The flexiblemembers 22 and 24 may be a continuation of the body portion of braider20 and thus made during the same manufacturing step as the rest of thebraider. Alternatively, they may be of a different material and attachedin a different step than the manufacturing of the remainder of thebraider. Members 22 and 24 may be flexible plastic members or metallicmembers that be distorted temporarily by the application of force. Theymay be made like the flexible members included in many barrettes toaccommodate different thicknesses of hair.

[0120]FIG. 7

[0121] Braider 16 is a fifth embodiment of the braider of thisinvention. Aside from cavities 4 and 6, it has a third cavity 18. Thisthird cavity can help make chevron braids and other related styles. Thecavities shown in braider 6 are in the form of lined slots. The liningsused may be made of a material that will help grab hair. But thematerial should also be such as to allow hair sections to be removedeasily without damaging or snagging hair. Thus foam rubber may not be anideal material for the cavities since it will interfere with the processof removing sections of hair from cavities. The material used for liningshould be such that will help grab hair but without snagging it. Thus acoated foam rubber will work better than just a foam rubber lining. Anyreversibly deformable material with a smooth surface will work as alining material. However, a lined cavity will increase manufacturingcosts. Additionally, the use of slots instead of cavities will make itdifficult to make some of the braids of this invention since a slotdesign will interfere with the process of pushing a section of hair tothe extreme interior of the cavity to get the appropriate look.

[0122]FIG. 8

[0123] Braider 26 is a sixth embodiment of the braiding tool of thisinvention. Like Braider 16 it includes a third cavity 18 that can beused to make chevron braids and other related styles. Braider 26 canhave a side profile 19 in the shape of an L. The short leg of the sideprofile as shown in the illustration is intended to rest against thetorso of the wearer while the braider is being used. The L-shapedprofile is intended to help the braider stay perpendicular to the hairbeing braided and to lend more stability during the braiding process.

[0124]FIG. 9

[0125]FIG. 9 shows the top elevational view of braider 28 which is aseventh embodiment of the braider of this invention. In braider 28, thebody portion has been substantially reduced as is clear from front view34 which is essentially a rectangle. This braider design will belightweight and also easy to manufacture. However, precisely because ofthe reduced body portion, this embodiment of the braider may be harderto grasp in the user's hand as compared to some of the other describedembodiments. Braider 28 may be made by a variety of processes and avariety of materials. For instance, it could be made from two elongated,appropriately shaped members that are joined together at a pointintermediate the two cavities of the braider. Braider 28 could also bemade via a molding process. Alternatively it may be made from two,flexible metal bands that are joined at a point intermediate the twocavities. These manufacturing suggestions are not intended to becomprehensive; rather they are intended to give the reader an idea ofsome of the available options.

[0126]FIG. 10

[0127]FIG. 10 shows braider 32 that is similar to braider 28 in that ithas a substantially reduced body portion. Cavities 4 and 6 are seen tobe crimped in this case in order to improve the hair holding ability ofthe cavities. Cavities 4 and 6 may also be designed to hold hair in themanner of an ordinary bobby-pin.

[0128]FIGS. 11 and 12

[0129]FIGS. 11 and 12 show braiders 36 and 38 which are the ninth andtenth embodiments of the braider of this invention. These embodimentsare intended to show some possible shapes for the braider. The braidercan also be made circular or semicircular with a concave or convexprofile. Braiders 36 and 38 also show a hanger hole 37. Hanger hole 37may be placed at different locations on the body portion of the braider.The presence of a hanger hole directly on the braider will help reducepackaging requirements and allow for easy display.

[0130]FIG. 13

[0131] Braider 43 is an eleventh embodiment of the braider of thisinvention. This braider may be entirely made of a resilient materialwith cavities included in it. It may be provided with an outer coatingthat will prevent hair from snagging on the outside surfaces. Also, themouth to cavities 4 and 6 can be made wider than the remainder of thecavities for ease of introducing hair into those cavities. Braider 43 isalso seen to have two additional cavities 40 and 42. The presence ofthese cavities allows for a braiding method that is slightly differentfrom the two-cavity braider embodiments. The presence of these extracavities also allows for additional, more complex braiding styles.However, the presence of extra cavities also increases the complexity ofthe braiding process thus reducing the ease-of-use and the consumerappeal of the braider.

[0132]FIGS. 14, 15 and 16

[0133]FIGS. 14, 15 and 16 show how the braider of this invention may beused to make a herringbone braid. FIG. 14 shows the first step of thebraiding process. Head 44 of wearer is seen from the back. The wearer'shair is seen divided into a first section 46 and a second section 48.Each section is seen placed within a cavity of braider 1. Section 46 isplaced in cavity 4 while section 48 is placed into cavity 6. The hairsections are held snugly but removably within cavities 4 and 6 such thatbraider 1 will not slip off when released by the wearer. The embodimentsof FIGS. 5 and 7 are to be preferred because they can accommodatedifferent thicknesses of hair and fulfill all the requirements of aversatile braiding device.

[0134]FIG. 15 shows sub-section 50 of section 46 removed from cavity 4and transferred into cavity 6. Thus sub-section 50 has now become a partof section 48. Hooked rod 5 shown in FIG. 2 may be used to separate outsection 50 from section 48. Results will be better if sub-section 50 isremoved from the outermost part of cavity 4 and introduced into theinnermost part of cavity 6.

[0135]FIG. 15 also shows sub-section 52 removed from the outermost partof cavity 6 and transferred into the innermost part of cavity 4.Sub-section 52 is thus made part of section 46.

[0136]FIG. 16 shows braid 54 that is formed by repeating the steps ofFIG. 15 several times. Sub-sections of hair are transferred alternatelybetween cavities 4 and 6. As the braiding progresses, braider 1 is madeto slide along sections 46 and 48. Once braiding is complete, thebraider is slipped off the wearer's hair and a rubberband or anequivalent device is placed on the braid to keep it from unraveling.Braider 1 may even be allowed to remain in the wearer's hair after thebraiding is completed. An advantage of the braider of this invention isthat since the braider prevents the braid from unraveling, the braidingprocess may be interrupted several times and continued after theinterruptions without having to start from scratch.

[0137]FIGS. 17, 18, 19 and 20

[0138] FIGS. 17-20 show some different styles of braids that can becreated with the braider of this invention.

[0139] In FIG. 17, sub-section 56 is first removed from cavity 4. It isthen twisted several times. It is then introduced into cavity 6. Theherringbone braid shown in FIG. 16 can be modified so that sub-sections50 and 52 are twisted in the manner of sub-section 56 before beingtransferred to the opposite cavity. This will result in a beautiful newvariation of the herringbone braid.

[0140] In FIG. 18, sub-sections 58 and 59 are seen to have been removedfrom cavity 4, twisted in the manner of sub-section 56, and subsequentlyinserted into the opposite cavity. This process of removing, twistingand inserting may be repeated for as many sub-sections of section 46 asdesired. The resulting braid will be a asymmetric diagonal braid.

[0141] In FIG. 19, sub-section 60 is removed from section 46 and twistedin the manner of sub-section 56. However, instead of being transferredto cavity 6 of braider 1, it is instead looped around, going behindsection 48 and is then reintroduced into cavity 4 behind section 46.This step may be repeated several times with different sub-sections ofsection 46. This will result in a beautiful, coil braid. In a variationof the coil braid, twisted sub-section 60 may be wound around sections48 and 46 multiple times before being introduced into a cavity.

[0142] In FIG. 20, sub-sections 61 and 62 of section 46 are seen twistedand retained in cavity 4 while sub-sections 63 and 64 of section 48 areseen twisted and retained in cavity 6. All or some of sections 46 and 48may be twisted and retained in this manner. This style may be taken astep further by transferring twisted sub-sections between cavities 4 and6 in a random or a sequential manner.

[0143]FIGS. 21, 22 and 23

[0144]FIGS. 21, 22, and 23 show how the braider of this invention may beused to make a rope braid. First two small sub-sections of the hair tobe braided are placed in the cavities of the braider. This is shown inFIG. 21. Sub-section 66 of section 46 is placed in cavity 4 whilesub-section 68 of section 48 is placed in cavity 6. The braider is thenrotated one or more times. FIG. 22 shows the configuration after braider1 has been rotated just once. Sub-section 68 is now closer to section 46while sub-section 66 is closer to section 48. A sub-section of section46 is now added to sub-section 68 in cavity 6. Likewise, a sub-sectionof section 48 is added to sub-section 66 in cavity 4. The tool isrotated again. This process of adding sub-sections and rotating the toolis repeated as many times as desired. The braider is moved downwardalong the hair strands during the braiding process. The result is ropebraid 70 that is shown in FIG. 23.

[0145]FIG. 24

[0146]FIG. 24B shows braider 26 of FIG. 8 being used to braid hair.Sections 46 and 48 of hair are first placed in cavities 4 and 6respectively of braider 26. Then sub-sections of hair are removedalternately from sections 46 and 48 and introduced into cavity 18. Thesub-sections of hair introduced into cavity 18 form a growing section ofhair 72. As the braiding continues, braider 26 is gradually moved downalong the user's hair. The result is a chevron braid. Once braider 26 isremoved, the chevron braid can be kept from unraveling by using a rubberband or an equivalent device.

[0147]FIG. 25

[0148]FIG. 25 shows how a non-braided hairstyle can also be achievedwith the braider of this invention. Braider 1 is placed against the hairbase. Hair section 74 is then woven around the braider and through itscavities. Several sections of hair may be woven around the braider inthis manner. Hair sections may be first introduced into cavity 6, thenlooped over the braider, and subsequently inserted into cavity 4. Theweaving may be done in a figure-8 configuration where a section of hairis first inserted into cavity 6, then looped around over the upper halfof the tool, then inserted into cavity 4, then looped around again overthe upper half of the tool and finally anchored by being inserted intocavity 6.

[0149] The order in which hair sections are inserted into cavities andlooped over the braider may be varied infinitely. The result of thisweaving will be an updo in which the braider becomes a part of the hairstyle. Thus, anyone skilled in the art will see that the braider can notonly help make braids, but it can also be more than a tool. It can beused as a decorative hair accessory in its own right.

[0150]FIG. 26

[0151]FIG. 26 shows how the braider of this invention can be used inplace of a hair clip. Braider 76 is a miniature braider with 4 cavitiesmade in the shape of a flower. In this use, the braider cavities can bemade very small in order to hold very small sections of hair. Smallsections of hair may be anchored together by weaving them through thecavities of braider 76. Miniature braiders made in many other attractiveshapes may be scattered throughout a wearer's hair. Aside from flowerdesigns, a braider may be made in many other styles such as butterflies,animals, etc. It may be encrusted with gemstones. Alternatively, stringsof beads or ribbons may be attached to the braider. The embodiment ofbraider 76 may also be used to attach hair extensions to a wearer'shair. The user's hair and hair extensions may be interwoven through abraider. Alternatively, hair extensions may be attached permanently to abraider. The braider may be then be anchored to the wearer's hair byinserting sections of the wearer's hair through the cavities of thebraider.

[0152] Aside from the different braids and methods of braiding hairshown in the above figures, many others are possible by making minoradjustments to the structure of the braider or the process of braiding.Elements of the various embodiments may be mixed and matched. Forinstance, the embodiment of FIG. 15 could include a third or fourthcavity. The method for braiding hair can also be modified without takingaway from the spirit of this invention. For instance, selectivesub-sections of hair can be twisted during the braiding process. Usingthick sub-sections of hair will result in a braid that will look verydifferent from one made with very thin sub-sections. Likewise, usingdifferent sizes of sub-sections of hair in the same braid can result ina pattern that will appear to be complex but be as easy to make as thestandard herringbone braid. Using a braider with cavities that are farapart or closer together can result in different looks of braids.

[0153] Operation of the Invention

[0154] In using braider 1 to make a basic herringbone braid, the wearerfirst divides the hair to be braided into two approximately equalsections. These sections 46 and 48 can be seen in FIG. 14. Section 46 isinserted into cavity 4 via mouth 2 while section 48 is inserted intocavity 6 via mouth 3. The point of placement of braider 1 on thewearer's hair should be at the point where the braiding of hair is tobegin. The plane of braider 1 will be substantially perpendicular to thelength of the hair to be braided. The cavities of braider 1 should be ofa size and a design so as to hold hair snugly but not too tightly. Thebraider should sit snugly on the wearer's hair such that it can be sliddown the hair easily by the user but will not do so under its ownweight. The shape of the cavilies and the presence of additional holdingmechanisms such as shown in FIGS. 5 and 7 will also help in retainingsections of hair within the cavities. Any holding mechanism employedwithin the cavities should be such as to also allow for easy removal ofsub-sections of hair. Thus teeth present within the cavities mayinterfere with the process of introduction and removal of hair fromwithin the cavities. If teeth are included within the cavities theyshould be very small, flexible and/or aligned so as to not resist theaddition or removal of sections of hair.

[0155] Once braider 1 is placed on the wearer's hair as shown in FIG.14, a sub-section of hair 50 is separated from section 46 and removedfrom cavity 4. This sub-section of hair should ideally be removed fromthe outermost portion of cavity 4. Sub-section of hair 50 is thenintroduced into cavity 6 so that it crosses over diagonally from section46 to section 48. Sub-section 50 should ideally be pushed into theinnermost portion of cavity 4 as shown in FIG. 15.

[0156] Next the preceding step is repeated for section 48. A sub-sectionof hair 52 is separated from section 48 and removed from cavity 6. Thissub-section of hair should ideally be removed from the outermost portionof cavity 6. A hooked or toothed rod member as shown in FIG. 2 may beemployed for separating sub-section 52 of hair. This sub-section of hairis then inserted into cavity 4 so that it crosses over diagonally fromsection 48 to section 46. Sub-section 52 should ideally be pushed intothe innermost point of cavity 4 as shown in FIG. 15.

[0157] Subsequently, sub-sections of hair are separated alternately fromsections 46 and 48 and transferred to the opposite cavity as describedin the preceding paragraphs: first a sub-section is removed from theouter portion of section 46 and transferred to join the innermostportion of cavity 6. Then a sub-section of hair is removed from theoutermost portion of section 48 and transferred to join the innermostportion of cavity 4. After every few steps, braider 1 is moved downwardalong sections 46 and 48 to allow more hair to be braided and to makeroom for the growing braid.

[0158] The resulting braid 70 can be seen in FIG. 16. This herringbonebraid is very different in appearance from the standard 3-section braid.Once the desired length of hair has been braided, braider 1 may beslipped off the wearer's hair and a rubberband or an equivalent holdingdevice be used to prevent the braid from unraveling. Alternatively, anattractively made braider may be left in the braided hair.

[0159] A variation of herringbone braid 54 of FIG. 16 is one in whicheach sub-section of hair is first twisted several times before beinginserted into the opposing cavity. For instance, sub-section 50 wouldfirst be separated from section 46, then twisted several times and onlythen inserted into cavity 6. Likewise, sub-section of hair 52 wouldfirst be separated from section 48, twisted several times and thenintroduced into cavity 4. This process would result in a modifiedherringbone braid.

[0160] The braiding method for braider 16 of FIG. 7 and braider 26 ofFIG. 8 is slightly different from the above. The method starts withplacing two approximately half-sections of hair in cavities 4 and 6. ButThe difference is that in the case of braiders 16 and 26, sub-sectionsof hair removed from cavities 4 and 6 are placed in cavity 18. This canbe seen in FIG. 24. Sub-sections of hair transferred from cavities 4 and6 to cavity 18 result in a growing section of hair 72. The resultingbraid, the chevron braid, looks like a series of “Vs”. In this casethere is no exchange of sub-sections of hair between cavities 4 and 6.

[0161] Braider 43 uses a slightly different method for braiding hair.First the two approximately half sections of hair are placed in cavities4 and 6. Then a sub-section of hair is removed from cavity 4 and placedin cavity 42 of FIG. 13. Next, a sub-section of hair is removed fromcavity 6 and introduced into cavity 40. Sub-sections of hair may betwisted prior to being inserted into the opposite cavity. The method ofalternately transferring hair is repeated until a desired length ofbraid is formed. Braider 43 has the disadvantage that it is morecomplicated to use since there are multiple cavities. More the number ofcavities, the harder it is for a novice user to figure out which cavityto use. Thus, the two-cavity braiding tool is superior to a multi-cavityversion. However, for a professional, a multi-cavity tool would be veryuseful because it would allow for more complex patterns of braids.

[0162] Aside from the basic herringbone braid and the modifiedherringbone braid, many other varieties of braids may be easily createdwith the two-cavity embodiment. One such braid is shown in FIG. 18.First, the hair to be braided is divided into two sections. The sectionsmay be of equal thicknesses or one section could be much larger than theother. In an extreme case, the entire section of hair can be placed inone cavity. In FIG. 17, the hair is shown divided into two approximatelyequal sections. Sub-section of hair 56 is then separated from section46. It is twisted several times forming a rope. This rope is theninserted into cavity 6. A second sub-section of hair 58 is then removedfrom section 46, twisted and inserted into cavity 6. A Third sub-sectionof hair 59 is then removed from section 46 and the process is repeatedonce again. This process may, in fact, be repeated as many times asdesired. The result is an asymmetrical braid with twisted ropes goingdiagonally across the wearer's hair. Once the braiding is done, braider1 is slipped off the user's hair and the resulting braid secured with arubber band or an equivalent device.

[0163] A variation of the above braid is one in which first severaltwisted sub-sections are transferred from section 46 to cavity 6. Thisfirst step has already been described in the preceding paragraph. Thisprocess is then repeated for the other half-section of hair with severaltwisted sub-sections transferred from section 48 to cavity 4. The resultof this process will be a multi-roped herringbone braid.

[0164] Yet another braiding method is shown in FIG. 19. In this method,hair may first be divided into two sections or the entire hair sectionmay be placed in any one cavity. In FIG. 19, the hair to be braided hasbeen divided into two equal sections. Once the hair sections are placedin the cavities, a sub-section of hair 60 is separated from section 46.It is then crossed over diagonally towards section 48, looped behindsection 48, and then reinserted into cavity 4. This sub-section of hairmay be twisted before it is reintroduced into cavity 4. Prior to beingreinserted into cavity 4, twisted sub-section 60 may be looped aroundthe hair to be braided more than once. This process may be repeated forseveral sub-sections of hair while moving the braiding tool down thewearer's hair. The result of this braiding method is a beautiful coilbraid.

[0165]FIG. 20 shows a multi-rope hairstyle. In achieving this style, thebraider acts as a holding tool to prevent twisted sub-sections of hairfrom unraveling. First, the hair to be braided is divided into twosections. The sections may be of equal thicknesses or one section couldbe much larger than the other. In an extreme case, the entire section ofhair can be placed in one cavity. In FIG. 20, the hair is shown dividedinto two approximately equal sections. Section 48 is introduced intocavity 6 while section 46 is allowed to remain outside of the braider.In this case, the braider is placed at a point where the braiding is toend. A small sub-section of hair 61 is separated from section 46.Sub-section 61 is twisted several times. It is then introduced intocavity 4 of braider 14 to prevent it from unraveling. A secondsub-section 62 is then separated from section 46. It is twisted severaltimes into a rope. Twisted sub-section 62 is then inserted into cavity4. For this braiding style, a narrow cavity or a flexible holdingelement will help hold small sub-sections securely. This process isrepeated several times until all of section 46 has been introduced intocavity 4 in the form of twisted ropes. At this point, all of section 46is in cavity 4. Section 48 is now entirely removed from cavity 6.Sub-section of hair 63 is separated from section 48, twisted, andinserted into cavity 6. This process is repeated so that, as in the caseof section 46, all of section 48 is introduced into cavity 6 in the formof twisted ropes. At this point, braider 14 may be slipped off the haircarefully so as to not unravel the twisted ropes. A rubber band orequivalent device should be used to anchor the resulting hairstyle. Afurther modification of this hair style would be to first create anumber of twisted sub-sections as just described and then to transferthese sub-sections between the cavities in a random or sequentialmanner.

[0166]FIGS. 21, 22 and 23 show how the braider may be used to make arope braid. In this braiding style, two small sub-sections, 66 and 68,of the hair to be braided are placed in the cavities of the braider.This is shown in FIG. 21. The remaining hair is seen loosely dividedinto sections 46 and 48. The braider is then rotated one or more times.As can be seen in FIG. 22, sub-section 68 is now closer to section 46while sub-section 66 is closer to section 48. A small sub-section ofsection 46 is now added to sub-section 68. Likewise, a sub-section ofsection 48 is added to sub-section 66. The tool is rotated again. Thisprocess of adding sub-sections and rotating the tool is repeated as manytimes as desired. The result is braid 70 that is shown in FIG. 23. Thisbraid as well as many of the other braids previously described in thisapplication may be started high up on the wearer's head or they may bestarted at the nape of the neck or at any point along the length of thewearer's hair.

[0167]FIG. 25 shows how a braider may be used to create a non-braidhairstyle. An attractively manufactured braider may become a part of ahairstyle as shown in FIG. 25. To achieve this hair style, sections of awearer's hair may be woven through the cavities of the braider severaltimes. For example, section 74 of hair can be seen to first have beeninserted into cavity 6, then looped diagonally over the braider, andthen reinserted into cavity 4. Depending on the length of thehair-strand, it may be looped again over the braider and inserted intoeither cavity 4 or cavity 6. Several sections of hair may be woventhrough the braider in this fashion.

[0168]FIG. 26 shows yet another way in which a braider may be used tocreate a non-braid hairstyle. Braider 76 is a miniature braider made inthe shape of a flower. In this use, the braider cavities can be reducedin size to hold very small sections of hair. Small sections of hair maybe anchored together by weaving them through the cavities of braider 76.Miniature braiders made in attractive shapes may be scattered throughouta wearer's hair. Aside from flower designs, a braider may be made inmany other styles such as butterflies, animals, leaves, moon, sun, etc.It may also be encrusted with gemstones. Alternatively, strings of beadsor ribbons may be attached to the braider. An embodiment of braider 74may also be used to attach hair extensions to a wearer's hair. Theuser's hair and hair extensions may be inter-woven through a braider.Alternatively, hair extensions may be attached permanently to a braider.The braider may be then be anchored to the wearer's hair by insertingsections of the wearer's hair through the cavities of the braider.

[0169] While certain novel features and uses of this invention have beenshown and described, it is not intended to be limited to the detailsabove, since it will be understood that various omissions,modifications, substitutions and changes in the forms and details of thedevice illustrated and its operations can be made by those skilled inthe art without departing in any way from the spirit of the presentinvention.

[0170] Conclusion, Ramifications, and Scope of Invention

[0171] Thus the reader will see that the braider of this inventionprovides a simple tool for making a wide variety of very attractivebraids and other hairstyles. This tool is an improvement on existingprior art devices because it is much simpler in construction and use.Because of its simple design, the braider of this invention is very easyand inexpensive to manufacture. The low manufacturing costs willeventually translate to better value for the user.

[0172] The simple design of the braider has an additional advantage:unlike prior art tools, it does not intimidate the user with its complexappearance. Most prior art tools had complicated user instructions. Anovice user felt defeated even before attempting to use those prior artdevices. In contrast, the very simple design of the braider of thisinvention will appeal to users.

[0173] Despite its simplicity, however, the braider of this invention isvery versatile and allows a user to achieve a wide variety of hairstyles, both braided and non-braided. Most of the prior art devices wereintended for very specific one or two braids. In contrast, the braiderof this invention can help create a number of very different braids: theherringbone braid, the diagonal braid, the coil braid, the rope braid,the multi-twisted braid, the chevron braid and many others.Additionally, the braider can help create non-braid styles as well. Forinstance, the braider can help create an updo by acting as a hair clipinto which sections of hair may be anchored. The braider can be made inbeautiful colors and shapes so that miniature versions can be used ashair clips throughout a wearer's hair.

[0174] Even though the braider of this invention is very versatile andcan create many different hair styles, it is very easy to use. Most ofthe prior art devices had multiple cavities for receiving sections ofhair. That made the braiding process very complicated because the userhad to keep track of which cavity to use for which hair section. Thiscomplication was even more pronounced for a user attempting to braid herown hair at the back of her head where she couldn't see the braider.

[0175] In contrast, the preferred embodiment of the braider of thisinvention has just two cavities. Hair sections removed from one cavityhave only one other cavity to go to. Thus the braiding process is muchsimplified. A user no longer has to keep track of which cavity to put ahair section into. The preferred positioning of the cavities oppositeeach other further helps the user avoid any confusion about which cavitythe hair sections are supposed to be inserted into.

[0176] Even though the device described by Sloan in U.S. Pat. No.5,819,761 also has two cavities, the design of Sloan's device makes itunsuitable for many uses. Sloan describes a hair braiding device thatconsists of a flat elongate body having at least one opposing pair ofslotted openings with the openings being lined with a resilient materialthat permits hair strands to be introduced thereinto and that allows thedevice to be rotated to create a rope braid. The braiding device bySloan requires multiple manufacturing steps. It is hard to manufacturebecause it includes a lining attached on the inside of each of theslots. Additionally, even though Sloan's device has two openings, thoseopenings are designed especially to prevent hair strands from escapingfrom the slots. Sloan's device requires an opposing yieldable liningthat will grab on to hair strands when Sloan's device is being rotated.In fact, Sloan's device has been especially designed with rotation inmind. It requires that hair strands not escape from the openings duringrotation. The use of fillable lining in Sloan's device is, in fact,intended to prevent hair strands from being easily removed. This makesSloan's device less than ideal for braids such as the herringbone thatrequire that sections of hair be removed often from the openings duringthe braiding process. Thus, Sloan's device has several disadvantages ascompared to the braider of this invention.

[0177] From the preceding discussion, the reader will see that thebraider of this invention has many advantages over prior art devicesincluding those of ease of manufacturing, ease of use, extremeversatility, compact structure, and aesthetic appeal.

[0178] It is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationshipsfor the parts of the invention, to include variations in size,materials, function, and manner of operation, assembly and use, aredeemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and allequivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings anddescribed in the specification are intended to be encompassed by thepresent invention. While this description is directed to particularembodiments, it is understood that those skilled in the art may conceivemodifications and/or variations to the specific embodiments shown anddescribed herein. Any such modifications or variations which fall withinthe purview of this description are intended to be included as well. Forinstance, the two cavities of the braider do not need to be placedopposite to each other but may be more proximate. The braider may bemade in the form of a trident with two parallel cavities. The bodyportion of the tool may have a wide variety of different shapes. Thecavities themselves may differ in their size, shape and hair retentionmechanism. The material of construction of the tool may vary frompolymers to wood to cardboard to metal to any of a variety of suitablematerials. Thus even though the description above contains manyspecifics, these should not be construed as limitations on the scope ofthe invention.

I Claim:
 1. A hair braiding device for braiding hair, said devicecomprising: a. a body portion including at least two cavities b. eachsaid cavity being configured so as to allow sections of hair to be heldsnugly within each said cavity c. each said cavity being configured soas to allow sections of hair to be easily inserted into and removed fromeach said cavity d. each said cavity having a resilient mouth portionthat is configured so as to allow sections of hair to be easily insertedinto and removed from each said cavity whereby said braiding device canbe used to quickly and easily create many different hair styles.
 2. Thedevice of claim 1 wherein each said cavity includes a flexible memberfor retaining hair securely.
 3. The device of claim 1 wherein each saidcavity is subdivided into a plurality of cavities.
 4. The device ofclaim 1 wherein said resilient mouth portion is configured so as to beable to retain sections of hair.
 5. The device of claim 1 wherein saidbody portion is reduced to a frame.
 6. The device of claim 1 wherein atleast two cavities are aligned opposite each other.
 7. The device ofclaim 1 wherein said body portion is substantially planar.
 8. The deviceof claim 1 wherein a hanger hole is incorporated into said braidingdevice.
 9. A method for braiding hair with a hair braiding device, saidmethod comprising the steps of: a. parting hair to be braided into twosections, a first section and a second section b. inserting said firstsection into a first cavity of the braiding device c. inserting saidsecond section into a second cavity of the braiding device d. removing afirst sub-section of hair from the first cavity e. transferring saidfirst sub-section to the second cavity f. removing a second sub-sectionof hair from the second cavity g. transferring said second sub-sectionto the first cavity
 10. The method of claim 9 wherein the steps ofremoving and transferring said first sub-section and the steps ofremoving and transferring said second sub-section are repeated more thanonce whereby a herringbone braid is created.
 11. The method of claim 9wherein each said sub-section of hair is twisted several times followingeach said removing step and prior to each said transferring step wherebya modified herringbone braid is created.
 12. A method of braiding hairwith a hair braiding device, said method comprising the steps of: a.separating a small sub-section of hair from hair that is to be braidedb. twisting said small sub-section of hair to form a twisted sub-sectionc. inserting said twisted sub-section into a cavity of the braidingdevice to prevent said twisted sub-section from unraveling
 13. Themethod of claim 12 wherein the steps of separating, twisting andinserting are repeated for as many sub-sections of hair as desired. 14.The method of claim 13 wherein said twisted sub-sections are transferredbetween the cavities of the braiding device in any desired sequence thusforming a multi-rope braid.
 15. The method of claim 12 wherein saidtwisted sub-section is inserted into a cavity opposite the hair sectionwhereby a diagonal rope braid is created.
 16. The method of claim 12wherein said twisted sub-section is looped around the wearer's hair atleast once prior to being inserted into a cavity of the braiding devicewhereby a coil braid is created.
 17. A method of braiding hair with ahair braiding device, said method comprising the steps of: a. parting aportion of hair into two sections, a first section and a second sectionb. inserting said first section of hair into a first cavity of thebraiding device c. inserting said second section of hair into a secondcavity of the braiding device d. rotating the hair braiding device atleast once thus intertwining the first section and the second section ofhair
 18. The method of claim 17 further including the steps of: a.inserting a third section of hair into a cavity of the braiding deviceb. inserting a fourth section of hair into a cavity of the braidingdevice c. rotating the hair braiding device at least once d. repeatingsaid inserting and rotating steps as many times as desired whereby arope braid is formed.
 19. A method for creating a non-braided hair stylewith a braiding device, said method comprising the steps of: a.inserting a first section of hair into a first cavity of the braidingdevice b. reinserting said first section of hair into a cavity of thebraiding device.
 20. The method of claim 19 wherein said first sectionof hair is wrapped around the braiding device.